Into the Shadows

Chapter 7

Ember POV

I searched all night for Dawn and her boyfriend... friend... boy that is a friend. Oh, it doesn't even matter. Last night I went back to the place where Dawn and I split up. I came across an alley full of blood and a few bodies, but the officers had beaten me to it and there were about two dozen of them there. Luckily, I did not see Dawn's body among the dead. I scanned the remaining scene and could not find anything of value. Looks like I hit a dead end and after the night I had, I was exhausted. 

I stopped my search for the night and began for shelter from the rain. With all the bars that were on these streets, I am sure there was a place that rented out rooms for the alcoholics and drunkards. I walk past the bar where Dawn and I had met and discover a little motel for cheap. The building was brown and bland, the windows were half broken, and it looks like a drug dealer's playground. Perfect, I can get a few hours of sleep and continue my search.

I walk inside and approach the front desk. An old woman, in maybe her seventies or eighties was entering stuff on her terminal. She looks up at me, raises her eyebrows, and puts on the creepiest smile. 

"Hello... my dear... what can I do for you on this fine evening?" She says through her smile. 

I hold my breath through my helmet. I almost knocked out from the stench that came out of her mouth, I could see her rotten black teeth and noticed her hand was shaking. She probably knew I was trouble from the moment that I walked in. Wearing a helmet also probably doesn't help either. 

I stare back into her shallow eyes. It's like staring into a black hole. There was nothing kind behind those eyes. "Just get me a room, it has been a long night."

"Who or what are you hiding from miss and are they going to find you here?" She asks while turning her back to the wall filled with key cards.

I pause for a moment before replying, "What makes you think I am hiding from something?"

The old woman runs her hand down the wall, looking for a specific card, "Well, in my business, only four types of people find their way into my establishment. They are either drunks, drug dealers, and junkies, or they are looking for a place to hide. And judging by the looks of your pretty little self, I would say you are not part of the first two groups." She grabs a card before turning back to me. "Don't worry dear, whatever it is you are up to, it is none of my business. After all whenever I get paid, my mind just mysteriously goes blank." 

She winks at me, about to hand me the key card. I reach out to grab the card from her hand, and when I pull it, she grabs my wrists and pulls me in close. She brings her face close before whispering in my ear, "This one is on me dear, but it looks like you got some people searching for you." She moves her eyes to the entrance and I hear the sound of guards' voices and footsteps.

I still had blood in my outfit and I did not want to cause a scene here. I take the key card from her hand and give her my thanks before sinking into the dark hallway to the left. The hallway was filled with graffiti and empty beer bottles. The place smelled like cheap alcohol and dead animals. Probably had to do with all the drunks who did not shower properly. I walk down to the end of the hallway and put my card on the door. The door slides open and I'm finally alone. 

There was not much in my room. To my right, there was a small bathroom with a rusted sink. Straight across the room was a bed with a small window that looked out into the street. I peek out of the window and notice the patrols that were walking by. Looks like they were putting up a perimeter around the bar Dawn's friend had run away from. I shut the window and made sure everything was secure before I took off my helmet. I inspect the front of it and there were strands of dried blood on the side.